Allied Generals

The Maker

Léonard Biermans had been employed by Brepols from 1871-1874 before opening his own steam-powered playing card factory in 1875. In 1879 he married Marie-Thérèse, daughter of Van Genechten’s manager, Charles Poupaert, so playing cards were never far from his attention. Léonard Biermans died in 1896 and the company continued as a limited company, S.A. Léonard Biermans.

Biermans initially built up trade with India and South-East Asia (Burma) and business prospered until the competition became fierce and India became independent. After that Biermans expanded into other markets, winning several exhibition medals and also registering a patent for rounded and gilded corners.

Eventually the firm was merged into Carta Mundi in 1970.

From the beginning Biermans produced a wide range of playing cards which were shipped all over the world. An 1877 export price-list mentions Cartes de Luxe, Impériales, Royales, Italiennes, Belges, Allemandes, Bongoût, Espagnoles, and others. After 1900 Biermans also produced Swiss, Oriental and Congress cards, English packs, Spanish packs, Chinese cards, children’s cards and domino cards. In many cases packs contained scenic aces with views of Belgium, Brasil, France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal or Holland which appealed as tourist souvenirs.

The Cards

One of several decks printed in Belgium at the end of Second World War to celebrate victory over the Nazis. It was printed by L. Biermans of Turnhout in 1945 and is specifically named ‘Jeep’, probably to honour the famous Willys Jeep which was used extensively by the US army during the war. A picture of the jeep is also shown on the back of the cards. The Aces all show caricatures of famous military commanders who were instrumental in the defeat of the Nazi.

Depicting famous allied military commanders as aces, with the joker being a caricature of Adolph Hitler. The courts cards are the Belgian, or Genoese, pattern with French indices.

Hearts: General Jean de Lattre de Tassingny, Commander of the 1st. French Army and leader of the Liberations Army from 1943-45. He represented France at the signing of the treaty in Berlin on May 8th. 1945.

Diamonds: General Bernard Law Montgomery, Commander of the British 8th. Army during the Western Desert Campaign & as Commander of the Allied Ground Forces during the Battle of Normandy. He eventually became Supreme Allied Commander of Europe.

Clubs: General Dwight D. Eisenhauer, Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during WW2. He became President of the United States from 1948 until 1953.

Spades: Secretary General Joseph Stalin, leader of the Soviet Union who remained in power until his death in 1953.

ARRCO Playing Card Company [Victory Playing Cards].

Publication [Chicago, ARRCO Playing Card Company, 1945].

Description

52 playing cards, plus two jokers, Stars and Stripes device printed to versos.

Dimensions 88 by 57mm (3.5 by 2.25 inches).

References Van den Bergh p86.

The Maker

The Arrco Playing Card Company was established in 1927, but initially under the name of Arrow Playing Card Company, and under the leadership of Theodore Regensteiner, inventor of the four-color lithograph press.

Based in Chicago, the company used Chicago’s “Century of Progress” World’s Fair in 1933-34 to launch under the new name: Arrco. Innovators in the field, Arrco were the first company to developed what they called their “Plastic Coated Duratone Cards” with a special coating that made it possible to clean the cards with a damp cloth. The new finish was billed as follows:

“It’s a quick trick to remove soil, candy or ink stains from PlasticCoated Duratone cards... a damp cloth, a wipe, and presto - they’re like new! At this time, not even a magician could supply the tremendous demand for Duratone cards”.

As evidence of their popularity and success is the fact that the US government made large orders of the cards with the new Duratone finish for the army. A special deck design was even produced by Arrco for military service members!

Arrco continued to manufacture playing cards into the 1980s, but in 1987 the Regensteiner family decided to sell their operations. The playing card division of their company was taken over by its long term rival USPCC.

The Cards

“Victory” cards issued by ARRCO Playing Card Co soon after VE day celebrating the U.S. participation in the Allied victory. The court cards are Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty repeated in each suit, with the jacks being different at each end, either a saluting soldier or sailor.

Mesmaekers Freres

Cartes de Luxe.

Publication [Turnhout, Mesmaekers Frères, 1945].

Description

52 playing cards, plus one joker, housed within printed paper box.

Dimensions 88 by 58mm (3.5 by 2.3 inches).

References Van den Bergh p86.

Victors of WWII

The Maker

The Mesmaekers firm was established in Turnhout in 1859 by the partnership of Gustaaf Mesmaekers and Louis-François Moentack. In 1862 Moentack withdrew from the partnership, leaving Gustaaf Mesmaekers who then turned to his two brothers for their support to continue the business. From then on the firm was known as Mesmaekers Frères.

The Cards

Depicting the allied victors of World War II, with the joker being a caricature of Adolph Hitler, and each suit representing one of the four major Allied victors, with Ace as a famous building, the King as the wartime leader, the Queen a personification of the flag, and the Jack as a soldier.

Hearts: Russia - The Kremlin (Ace); Joseph Stalin (King).

Diamonds: U.S.A. - Statue of Liberty (Ace); Franklin D. Roosevelt (King).

Clubs: France - Eiffel Tower (Ace); Charles de Gaulle (King).

Spades: Britain - Houses of Parliament (Ace); Winston Churchill (King).

JACOVITTI, Benito

[Italian political playing cards].

Publication

Spoleto, S. A. Art Grafiche Panetto & Petrelli, 1951.

Description

40 chromolithograph playing cards, blue advertisement to versos.

Dimensions 113 by 72mm (4.5 by 2.75 inches).

References

Van den Bergh pp.180-181.

The Maker

The Three of Swords identifies Benito Jacovitti (1923-1997) as the designer of this deck. He was an Italian illustrator, famed for his controversial designs, which were often themes centred around politics and erotica.

The cards were published by the Panetto & Petrelli printing company. In the first half of the nineteenth century, printer Domenico Bossi and his son Vincenzo ran a small company in Spoleto, Italy. In 1850 it merged with the company of Gherardo Gherardi, and the firm soon expanded its activities to include printing posters, notices and correspondence cards. In 1902, Carlo Panetoo and Gaetano Petrelli took over operations, renaming the company SPA Art Grafiche Panetto e Petrelli.

By 1920, they had a huge lithograph-printing workshop covering 7000 square meters, as well as paper and photography departments. The modernisation of the firm meant that it won notable national commissions. Much of the factory was destroyed during the Second World War, but the owners rebuilt, and celebrated the 50th anniversary of their company in 1952. The current deck was issued only one year earlier, and may have been among the first publications from the newly rebuilt factory.

The Cards

Publicised on the occasion of the 1951 election, this deck reflects an interesting time in Italian politics. In the aftermath of the Second World War, socialist and communist parties in France and Italy had been in the ascendant, but by 1951, the Italians seem to have turned against left-wing policies, perhaps because of the developing Cold War. The cards in this deck echo the public mood with strong anti-communist imagery.

As well as serving as propaganda, the deck is also an example of the transformation style, as the Italian suits of coins, cups, clubs and swords are creatively used to complete the images. On the Seven of Clubs, for example, we see Stalin brandishing seven wooden clubs, which represent some of the Central European countries under the control of the USSR. The Three of Swords shows the dove of peace chained to three Chinese swords, which collectively show the letters “MAO”. The lire and ruble are frequently used for the suit of coins, and the cups are often represented as vessels filled with blood.

The cards remained popular throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, no doubt a reflection on the ever-increasing tensions between East and West, and a facsimile edition was released in 1975. The original deck published by Panetto & Petrelli, however, is extremely rare.

VARGAS, Alberto [Provocative playing cards].

Publication 1953.

Description

52 chromolithograph playing cards and one joker card.

Dimensions 91 by 62mm (3.5 by 2.5 inches).

References Van den Bergh p.230.